My first post here

This is my first post here, and I'm going to start on something I love to consider. The passion of our Lord. It is our best and primary example of unconditional love. The love that we should all strive to return to our Lord. I am a perfect creation of the Lord, who, within free will, has imperfect ways. We all are. We are as God created us, and due to sin, the rejection of His grace, we are wholly imperfect. We try and, due to our fallen nature, we fail. But there is hope, hope in His redemption, hope in confession, hope in penance, and the hope to try again. To examine ourselves completely, and to strive to live a better life for love of Him through penance and, dare I say it, patience.

Most of us have seen a crucifix of our Lord. Not just a cross, but one with the image of Jesus Christ our Savior, our Redeemer upon it. The brutality of His suffering hidden within this one pristine image. And the one that most of us view is very pristine compared to the suffering He endured during His passion. The scourging at the pillar, where blow after blow His flesh was literally ripped from His body so that it hung from that which it had covered. The indescribable pain that He felt with each strike as his skin split, the love that He still feels for us to endure such pain. Considering each and every one of us as He bore that pain at the hand of His abusers. How much He loves us to bare such pain. And then the continued pain He felt as they forced upon His most precious head the crown of thorns. As those thorns pierced His skin, what pain He must have felt as each thorn was driven into His flesh and bone. Then He was taken before the multitude who demanded the ultimate sacrifice of His life, and He was taken away to be crucified. He carried His cross collapsing unable to carry the weight of it, Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service. Those who were bringing Him to die thought He may not live to die as those who begged for His death wished to see. He is brought to the sight of the crucifixion and nailed to the cross. Let us think about that, He is nailed to the cross. A nail is driven into each hand, and both of his feet. Already brutalized, His flesh torn from his body, a crown of thorns force into his skin and bone, He must now endure the most brutal of deaths, crucifixion. He is nailed to the cross, and the cross is raised, and He is suspended. A sign is placed above Him- INRI- Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews. This sign written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. The languages of the Jews, the Romans, and Greek, the language of commerce at the time. This was done so everyone might know who He was. Complete and total humiliation, and death. Death on the cross, so that love might conquer death. Complete and total unconditional love, totally and completely submitting to the will of the Father, obedience even onto death. He loved us each so much He suffered and died for each of us. He conquered death from within, by rising from the dead, and gave to humanity salvation. That we each might use our free will to love Him and all that He is with all of ourselves.

Know that you are loved- unconditionally. Love Him back.